Separating conveyor for the transfer of unit loads

ABSTRACT

A separating conveyor for transferring unit loads, in particular air luggage, from a conveyor belt ( 3 ) to at least one adjacent branching conveyor, has traveling undercarriages ( 7 ) arranged one after the other in the transport direction (F), movable along a guiding rail ( 6 ) and interconnected by driven traction means ( 4 ) to form an endless revolving chain, and tilting arms ( 8 ) arranged on the undercarriages ( 7 ), a coupling rod ( 12 ) being joined to each tilting arm ( 8 ) outside of its axis ( 9 ) to ensure the tilting movement of the tiling arms ( 8 ). In order to ensure the rotation of the tilting arms ( 8 ) about the axis ( 9 ) over a switchable switching element ( 17 ), the guiding roller ( 14 ) can be deflected into a tilting rail ( 16 ) vertically offset in relation to the guiding rail ( 15 ). The switching rail ( 41 ) can be swiveled by a cam gear in the manner of a Maltese cross having a driven pin disk ( 34 ) oriented transversely to the transport direction and which engages with a pin ( 35 ) a slot ( 36 ) in a slotted disk ( 37 ). A connection rod ( 40 ) is mounted on the slotted disk ( 37 ) for converting the rotary movement of the slotted disk ( 37 ) into an up and down movement of the switching rail ( 41 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention refers to a separating conveyor for the transfer of unitloads, in particular of pieces of airplane luggage, as per the preambleof Claim 1. From the (printed) German Pat. specifications DE 42 25 491C1, an installation/ device for emptying containers is known, which isarranged along the conveyor's path. The containers serve primarily totransport individual pieces of airplane luggage. The installation foremptying the containers consists essentially of several fixed, spacedout and consecutively mounted tilting arms, pivotably mounted in thetransport direction; their centers rest on an axis extending in thetransport direction and allowing the arms to be swiveled to both sides.Furthermore, the area of the installation for emptying the containers isprovided with disc-shaped carrier rollers of the roller conveyor type,which—seen in the transport direction—are arranged consecutively and insingle file. The design/ execution of the carrier rollers and the lowersurface of the containers provided with a central, continuous slot inthe transport direction are chosen in such a way thatcarrier-roller-supported containers can be tilted on the carrierrollers—to either side—to up to approx. 45°. The tilting movement thatserves to let the transported container contents slide down to thebranching (off) conveyor that runs adjacent to the emptying installationis carried out by the two-armed tilting arms. For this purpose, thetilting arms are provided, at their opposite ends, with guides in theform of guide rollers that are pivotable around horizontal axles, whichengage- in correspondingly arranged guide bars-webs on the container inorder to transfer the tilting arms' swivel movement to the containers.The distance between the tilting arms, successively arranged in thetransport direction, is less than the length of the containers, so thatthe containers can be transferred during the tilting action to thefollowing transport-direction-oriented tilting arm, which is in the sametilting position.

This emptying/unloading installation is suitable for a large number ofapplications, its outstanding characteristic being the fixed placementof the tilting arms. However, the transfer (flow) rate is limited by thefact that there has to be a sufficiently large gap between each of thecontainers to be emptied, so that the tilting arms have sufficient timeto return from the swung-out position to the horizontal position foraccepting the next container.

Furthermore, also already known from the German patent specifications DE21 51 439 C2, is a tilting installation for unit loads that is arrangedalong the path of the conveyor, and consists, essentially, ofdish-shaped carrier units, movable in the transport direction, which—inorder to off-load the unit loads—are pivotable, either to the right orthe left side, around an axis proceeding in the transport direction. Asa result, the unit loads can be transferred, specifically, to anadjacent separation conveyor. Each of the dish-shaped carrier units ismounted, via a tilting arm, on individual traveling undercarriages,which are linked consecutively to each other in the transport direction.Thus, the traveling undercarriages form an endless revolving chain, thatis guided around a reversing guiding wheel at the junction points withthe adjacent conveyor belt. For the tilting action, the load units aretransferred from the adjacent conveyor belt to the chain's upperstringer, and will either be tipped out in the direction of thebranching off conveyor belt, or will be transferred, for furthertransport, to the conveyor belt that adjoins the tilting installation.The dish-shaped carrier unit's tilting movement is effected by a leverarm that engages the tilting arm. Essentially, this lever arm extendsperpendicularly downwards, and at its end, facing away from the tiltingarm, it is provided with a guide roller. The guide roller is carried ina track that runs alongside the stadium-shaped, circular-runningtraveling path of the carriers units. This locks the dish-shaped carrierunit into its horizontal position. For tilting purposes, switchableswitches are provided along the guide, which permit rerouting—accordingto the desired tilting direction, either to the right or left of theguide roller—to a tilting rail that is arranged either above or belowthe guiding rail. By rerouting the guide roller, the lever arm is drawn,accordingly either downwards, or it is pushed upwards, whereby thedish-shaped carrier unit is swiveled to the right or left. The shiftingof the switching elements is effected via a double-acting pneumaticcylinder, whose horizontally oriented movement is converted—via twointeracting rollers, each provided with a guide bar bracket—intoswiveling the switches in a vertical direction.

It is the task of the present invention to create a separation conveyorfor unit loads, specifically for pieces of airplane luggage, that isprovided with an optimized drive for moving the switch rails, in orderto initiate the tilting movement of the tilting arms. This goal isachieved, as per the characteristics stated in Claim 1, with a tiltinginstallation for unloading unit loads from containers. Advantageousfurther developments of the invention are indicated in the sub-claims 2through 10.

In order to execute the containers' tilting movement, each tilting armis provided with a lever arm that is pivotably joined outside its axis.Essentially, the lever arm is vertically aligned and is provided with aguide roller at its end facing away from the tilting arm. In order tohold the tilting arm in its horizontal transport position, the guideroller engages a guide rail that runs parallel to the stadium-shapedtrack. In order to be able to swing out the tilting arms, switchablerails have been provided along the guide rails, which are pivotablearound a switching joint, whose axis is aligned horizontally and atright angles to the transport direction, and via which the guide rollerscan be rerouted from the guiding rail to a tilting rail that isvertically off set in relation to the guiding rail. Due to the resultingtraction or, respectively, the pressure force that is exerted on thelever arm in the vertical direction, the tilting arm and, consequently,the container attached to it, is swung out either to one or the otherside of the tilting device. This development of the tilting mechanismhas turned out to be very simple as to its structure/design, since,essentially, it is based on mechanical component parts. Furthermore,this type of mechanical solution is, relatively, much less troubleprone.

A switch rail—with its pivotably mounted switch element and arrangedalong the guide rail,—has been found to be advantageous. The length ofthis switch rail is approximately the same length as that of acontainer. This results in a relatively gentle tilting movement of thetilting arms and, thus, of the tilting container. The switch rail can beswung from its resting position to its operative position by means of adrive (actuator). In its operational position, the switch rail connectsthe guide rail with a tilting rail that is assigned to it.

As a drive for the swivel movement of the switch rail, the use of a flatcam gear with rectilinear and swivel joints of the Geneva-type stop hasbeen found advantageous, since this guarantees that, both in the restingand the operational position of the tilting rail, the drive, whichpreferably consists of a series-connected electric motor, is not undertorsional strain, and that the switch rail's supporting forces are feddirectly into the gear's driving shaft, making the cam gearself-locking.

This cam gear is executed as a rotatable plate with a fixed stud,arranged on a driven shaft, that consists essentially of a stud—arrangedoff-set in relation to the driven shaft that engages the slot of aslotted disc that rotates coaxially to the rotatable stud plate. Theslotted disc's end opposite the slot has a pivotably joined connectingtie rod that is connected to the switch rail, and which serves toconvert the slotted disc's rotary movement into a lifting or loweringmovement of the switch rail. In order to make possible the previouslydescribed self-locking of the cam gear, the rotatable stud plate, aswell as the slotted disc have been provided with arch-shaped (curved)contact surfaces, which adjoin both in the resting and the operationalposition of the rotatable stud plate and the slotted disc and, thereby,relieve the stud. While between the two positions, the rotatable studplate can be swiveled by 90°, and in both swivel positions of theslotted disc, the slot's longitudinal section is arranged tangentiallyto the stud's shaft and at a distance from it.

Furthermore, it is also advantageous to provide a double set of guiderails and tilting rails, which—seen in the transport direction—arelocated at the right and left side below the tracks. This allows aswitching element to be provided on the left side at the beginning ofthe tilting device's track rails and to be followed shortly by a furtherswitching element on the right side. The distance between switchingelements corresponds to the spacing of the consecutively arrangedtilting arms that jointly carry a container, which makes a simultaneousswing-out movement possible. Due to the staggered arrangement on thesides of the switching elements, it is possible to increase the speed ofthe traveling undercarriages, since the distance between the individualguide rollers is twice as long on one side of the tilting rails and,thus, there remains enough time—even at higher transporting speeds—toswitch the switch rails into the desired position before the arrival ofthe next guide roller. For this purpose, the tilting arms that arearranged on the undercarriages are turned around by 180°, and—seen inthe transport direction—guide rollers are provided which alternatelyengage the right-side or left-side rails.

The execution that allows the tilting arms to move along in thetransport direction is achieved in that at least two tilting arms areassigned to a container during the entire tilting process and, thus, thetilting arm's return movement into the horizontal position occurstogether with the container; this makes it unnecessary to allow foradditional time for the return of the tilting arms, thus optimizing theflow/transfer rate or, respectively, the length of the tilting device.Transfer rates of 2500 containers per hour can be achieved with atilting device of the described type.

An especially advantageous means of attaching the containers on thetilting arms is to arrange permanent magnets at the ends of the tiltingarms, as well as a material that the magnetic force will hold, inparticular steel sheet metal that is placed on the outer bottom surface,if the container is made of plastic. The connection between thepermanent magnets and the container is easily undone at the end of thetilting movement by the tilting arms' downward tipping (dumping) outmovement, and the container can safely be passed on to the subsequentconveyor belt. Due to the tilting movement—at the beginning and the endof the tilting device, seen in the transport direction—of the permanentmagnets around an axis (oriented at right angles to the transportdirection) that places them either into or out of their essentiallyhorizontal position at the tilting arms, a gentle coupling and/oruncoupling process of the container is achieved. Furthermore, thedisc-shaped design of the holding means—where one disc surface facestowards the container to be attached—and the slightly angled movablepositioning of the holding means on the tilting arms, result in thecontact of the holding means being as holohedral as possible at thecontainers' lower surface, and, consequently, the containers are heldsecurely on the tilting arms and are held also during the tiltingmovement.

It has also proven to be an advantage that the undercarriages areprovided with rollers, which roll on a stadium-shaped track—seen in thetransport direction—, that the traction medium, together with theundercarriages arranged on it, is guided over/via two reversing guidewheels, which are positioned in the area at the ends of the track rails.

Below follows a detailed explanation of the invention, based on theattached drawings. Shown are in

SUMMARY

The invention refers to a tilting device for emptying containerscarrying unit loads (in particular pieces of airplane luggage), which isarranged along the course of a conveyor belt; the tilting device has atleast one adjoining branch-off conveyor; with tilting arms arrangedconsecutively and in the transport direction, which—in order to emptythe containers—can all be swiveled sideways around an axis that extendsmostly horizontally in the transport direction; the tilting device isalso provided with at least two tilting arms for passing the containerson between the conveyor belts; at least two of the tilting arms aredetachably connected to a container by holding means.

In order to create a container-emptying tilting device that has anoptimized flow/transfer rate, it is proposed that for the tiltingmovement of the containers (2), each tilting arm (8) flexibly(articulated) engage—outside of its axis (19)—a coupling rod (12), thatessentially is vertically aligned, and on whose end facing away from thetilting arm (8), a guide roller (14) is mounted, which—in order to holdthe tilting arms (8) in their horizontal transport position—iscarried/guided in a guiding rail (15) that proceeds parallel to a trackrail (6); in order to swivel the tilting arms (8) around an axis (9),the guide roller (14) can be rerouted via a switchable switching element(17) to a tilting rail (16), arranged off-set to the guiding rail (15);the switching elements (17) consist of a switching rail (14) that, inits horizontal resting position, is arranged along the extent of theguiding rail (15); it can be swung, by means of a drive (32) into aswung-out operational position that connects the guiding rail (15) withthe assigned tilting rail (16); the switching rail (41) can be swiveledvia a cam gear of the Maltese Cross type. (See Illustration 4).

SUMMARY

The invention refers to a separating conveyor for the transfer of unitloads, in particular pieces of airplane luggage, from a conveyor belt(3), to at least one adjoining branching-off conveyor with—in thetransport direction (F) consecutively arranged—traveling undercarriages(7), movable along a track rail (6), which—via a driven traction medium(4)—are interconnected to form an endless, revolving chain; thetraveling undercarriages (7) are provided with tilting arms (8), each ofwhich, in order to transfer to load units, can be swung sideways arounda mostly horizontally (in the transport direction F) extending axis (9);for the tilting movement of the tilting arms (8) around the axis (9) viaa switchable switching element (17), the guiding roller (14) can bererouted to a tilting rail (16), that is off-set and vertically alignedto the guiding rail (15). The switching rail (41) can be swiveled by acam gear of the Maltese Cross type, which is provided—aligned in thetransport direction—with an impellable (drivable) pin disc (34), whichby means of a pin (35) engages a slot (36) arranged on a slotted disc(37) which bears a tie rod (40), that converts the turning movement ofthe slotted disc (37) into a lifting or lowering movement of theswitching rail (41). (See FIG. 4).

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a lateral view of a separating conveyor—arranged along a unitload conveyor—to transfer transported pieces of airplane luggage;

FIG. 2 is a view of a cross section of FIG. 1, along the section line11—11;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail of FIG. 1 from the area of the tiltingactuator/drive, but with the tilting arm in its tilting position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail of FIG. 1 from the area of the switchingelements;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail of FIG. 4 from the area of a switchingelement's drive; and

FIG. 6 is a top view of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a lateral view of a tilting device 1 as per the invention,that serves to empty containers 2, in particular, containerstransporting pieces of airplane luggage. The tilting device 1 isarranged along the path of a conveyor 3, which is executed, preferably,as a belt conveyor from which the transport containers are laterallyremoved by one belt each. The conveyor 3 serves to feed or carry awaythe containers to, or respectively from, the tilting device 1. The taskof the tilting device 1 is to swivel the containers 2—unilaterally andat right angles to the transport direction F—in order todeliver/transfer the unit loads, transported by the containers, tobranching off conveyors (not shown) which, preferably, will bedesigned/executed in the form of chutes.

Essentially, the tilting device 1 consists of an endless revolvingtraction device 4, which is guided at the beginning and end of thetilting device via guide wheels 5, and which are pivotably mounted onaxes that extend horizontally and at right angles to the transportdirection F. The traction medium 4 (shown only partially) is preferablydesigned as a chain and, accordingly, the guide wheels 5 will bedesigned as gear (sprocket) wheels. Between the gear wheels 5, thetraction medium 4 is guided via open-sided guide rails 6 which extend inthe transport direction F (see also FIGS. 3 and 4), whose guidingsurfaces are made, preferably, of plastic. The traction medium 4 isprovided with bolt-fastened (traveling) undercarriages 7, which, thus,can be driven in the transport direction F in the area of the upperstringer of the traction medium 4. A large number of travelingundercarriages 7 are arranged along the traction medium 4; their spacing(to each other) has been chosen in such a way that two subsequentundercarriages 7 in the transport direction will always form a pair,each of these pairs carrying a container 2. Each pair is spaced, independence of the length of the container 2, and keeps a minimumdistance to the subsequent container 2. For the swiveling movement ofthe containers 2, a tilting arm 8 is attached to each travelingundercarriage 7; the tilting arm 8 is pivotably attached to an axis 9that extends horizontally in the transport direction (see FIGS. 2 and3).

Basically, the traveling undercarriage 7 consists of a frame 10, onwhich the tilting arm 8 is mounted via the axis 9. The descriptionrefers to a traveling undercarriage 7, that moves in the transportdirection F, in the area of the traction medium's (4) upper stringer.Furthermore, the traveling undercarriage 7 is provided with 4 trackrollers, 11, which—seen in the transport direction F—are arranged inconsecutive pairs and, thus, also side by side (see also FIGS. 2 and 3).The track rollers 11 are arranged on the tilting device 1, and move inguide rails 6 which extend along the traction medium 4. Viewedlaterally, the track 6 is stadium-shaped, i.e. it consists of twoparallel, straight rails—that face each other, each of their ends beingconnected via a semi-circular rail.

The tilting movement of the tilting arms 8 is effected via a couplingrod 12—which is pivotably arranged on the tilting arm 8 in the transportdirection F, via an axis 13 of a universal joint (see FIGS. 2 and 3),which essentially extends perpendicularly downwards. At the end of thecoupling rod 12 that faces away from the tilting arm 8, a guide roller14 has been arranged, which engages a guide rail 15 a, 15 b, that runsparallel to the track 6, and thus extends also in a stadium-shapedfashion. In order to move the tilting arms 8 from their horizontaltransporting position to their tilting position, tilting rails 16 a, 16b have been provided parallel to, and either above or below, the guiderails 15 a, 15 b. The guide rails 15 a, 15 b, and the tilting rails 16a, 16 b are interconnected via switching elements 17 a, 17 b. Byswitching over the switching elements 17 a, 17 b, it becomes possible toinitiate the tilting movement of the tilting arms 8, due to thererouting of the guide roller 14 from the guide rail 15 a, 15 b to thetilting rail 16 assigned to the coupling rod 12**, which is eitherpushed upwards or pulled downwards, thus swiveling/swinging out thetilting arm 8. (** Seemingly, in the original the word “Koppelstange”[coupling rod] was given the wrong gender, both in line 1 and 14 of page14, i.e. “der” instead of “die”; the article “die” was used in thetranslation, because, otherwise, it would not have been possible totranslate the two sentences).

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged sectional view of FIG. 1 along the cutting line11—11, which—among others—shows the execution of the containers. Thecontainers 2 are particularly suitable for an outward transfer/dischargeof the transported unit loads—such as suitcases, backpacks orhold-ails—by tilting them at an angle of 45°. The term “tub-shaped” isto be understood in this context to mean that the containers 2 show sidewalls 18, erected at right angles to the transport direction F, whichare aligned almost vertically to the bottom 19 of the container 2, inorder to prevent the unit loads from leaving (falling out of) thecontainer 2 during their transport on the conveyor belts 3 over upwards,downwards and curved stretches. In the present execution example, theinner side walls 18 of the container 2—aligned in transport directionF—are arranged at a wall 18 to bottom 19 angle of approximately 20°.This sloping design of the side wall 18 (not 19, as stated in theoriginal) is helpful in sliding out the unit loads onto the adjoiningbranching off conveyor when the container 2 is being tilted.

During the transport movement of the tilting device in the transportdirection F, the containers 2 are locked onto the tilting arm 8 viaholding means 20, while, at the same time, the bottom 19 of thecontainer 2 rests on the tilting arm 8. The holding means are designedpreferably as permanent magnets and, accordingly, the container, that ispreferably made of plastic, is provided with a sheet metal profile inthe area on the outside of its bottom; this sheet metal profile alsoserves as protection of the plastic container 2.

It is also possible to design the holding means 20 in the form of amechanical locking device and to provide the container 2 withcorresponding recesses, or to utilize electromagnets.

Furthermore, FIG. 2 shows that the tracks 6 for the travelingundercarriages 7 are formed by two upright U-profiles, whose open sidesface each other, and in which the outer side of the flange is arrangedon the side of a support/bearing frame 23. In each case, the trackrollers 11 of the traveling undercarriages 7 roll on the lower web ofthe U-profile-shaped tracks 6. The diameter of the track rollers 11 ischosen in such a way that a small clearance remains between the trackrollers 11—resting on the lower web of the track 6—and the upper web ofthe track 6. This permits, on the one hand, that the track rollers 11can roll on the track 6 without jamming, and on the other hand, that dueto the lateral displacement of the container 2 during the tiltingprocess, the tilting moment that is applied to the traveling carriage 7can be absorbed by same, because the track roller 11, facing away fromthe protruding part of the tilting arm 8, lifts off from the lower webof the track 6, and then immediately comes to lie against the upper webof the track 6. As a result, the tilting forces resulting from thetilting moment are safely fed into the track 6 and the support frame.The side-by-side running track rollers 11 of the traveling undercarriage7 are each located in sections, coaxially arranged to each other, of arunning axle 23, which is connected to the frame 10 of the travelingundercarriage 7 between the track rollers 11. The frame 10 isbolt(24)-connected to the traction medium 4 by means of carrier/driverelements, which extend in the direction of the support frame 22, as wellas downwards, when seen in reference to the upper travelingundercarriage 7. In the event that the traction medium 4 is fashioned asan inverted tooth-type chain, the bolt 24 will be of the laterallyelongated type, used for a chain's side bars.

The tilting arm 8 consists, essentially, of a profile/section extendingat right angles to the transport direction F which, in the center of itslongitudinal range/extension is mounted on an axis 9 that proceeds inthe transport direction F and, consequently, rests on the frame 10 ofthe traveling undercarriage 7. The holding elements 20 are arranged atthe ends of the tilting arm 8 and serve also as an extension of same.The holding elements 20 are designed in the form of permanent magnets,and are connected to the tilting arm 8 via connection elements 21 oflimited flexibility, specifically sheet metal strips. The flexibleconnection allows the entire surface area of the holding means 20 to bein contact with the lower surface of the bottom 19 of the container 2.This optimizes the holding force/capability of the holding element 20.It is also feasible to position the magnets in a pan or cup-shapedplastic element and to rigidly join it to the tilting arm 8, or toattach the holding elements 20 directly on the tilting arm 8.

Furthermore, FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of the guide rails 15 a, 15 b,and of the tilting rails 16 a and 16 b. It can be seen that, in thetransport direction F, in the area of the upper stringer of the tractionmedium 4 and below the tracks 6, a pair each of guide rails 15 a, 15 bwith tilting rails 16 a, 16 b is provided. In the area of the lowerstringer of the traction medium 4, only one guide rail 15 a, 15 b isarranged at each side of the tilting device 11, but no tilting rail 16a, 16 b. FIG. 2 shows a traveling undercarriage 7 with a tilting arm 8,whose coupling rod 12 engages—via its guide roller 14, seen in thetransport direction F—the guide rail 15 a, arranged on the right sideand, as needed, it engages its assigned tilting rail 16 a. The travelingundercarriage 7 with the tilting arm 8 that follows in the transportdirection F, is arranged—shown mirror-inverted—to the travelingundercarriage 7 shown in FIG. 2, with the two tilting arms 8 forming apair in order to carry a container, so that the coupling rod 12 isarticulation-fastened, via its axis 13, at the left side of the tiltingarm 8 that is executed as a double arm. FIG. 3 shows the pair's othertraveling undercarriage 7 in a swung out tilting position.

For the joint swivel movement of the two tilting arms 8, which in eachcase jointly carry a container 2, the foremost tilting arm 8 in thetransport direction F can be swiveled due to the fact, that the guideroller 14 is rerouted, via a switching element 17 a (see FIGS. 4 and 5)from the lower or respectively inner guide rails 15 at the right side,to the tilting rail 16 a, arranged between the guide rail 15 a and thetrack 6. As a result, the coupling rod 12 is moved vertically upwards,and the tilting arm 8 is swiveled counter clockwise by 45° around theaxis 9.

Since in the area of the lower stringer of the traction means 4 thereexists no need to swivel the tilting arms 8, only one guide rail 15 ahas been arranged on the right side, and one guide rail 15 on the leftside, off-set upwards.

Compared with FIG. 3, which shows an enlarged detail of FIG. 2 of thetilting drive's (actuator's) area, but which shows (seen in thetransport direction F) the rearmost traveling undercarriage 7 with oneof the tilting arms 8 of the pair of tilting arms 8, it can be seen(viewed in the transport direction F) that the guide rail 15 b that isarranged on the left side, and the tilting rail 16 b, opposite it on theright side, have been interchanged. Thus, the tilting rail 16 b islocated below the guide rail 15 b. This arrangement is also shown inFIG. 2, where in the area of the lower stringer of the traction means 4it can be seen that the guide rail 15 b is arranged at the left side inthe neighboring area, and practically adjoining the track 6, and thatthe guide rail 15 at the right side is off-set—vertically upwards, byapproximately the height of a tilting rail 16 plus a clearance—from theupper side of the lower track 6.

Furthermore, it can be seen in FIG. 3 that, at the side of the tiltingarm 8 (fashioned as a double arm) that faces away from the coupling rod12, a traction rod 25 is pivotably arranged on an axis 26 which extendsin the transport direction F. In all positions of the tilting arm 8 thetraction rod 25 is aligned essentially vertically, and its end facingaway from the tilting arm 8 is supported, via a spring element, by theframe 10 of the traveling undercarriage 7. The task of this springelement 27 is to prestress/-tension the tilting arm 8 against the frame10 of the traveling undercarriage 7, so that on the one hand in thehorizontal transport position, but also in its sloping tilting position,the guide roller 14 proceeds along the U-shaped flange and open-sidedguide rail 15 a, 15 b, or along the tilting rail 16 a, 16 b. Thisstabilizes the tilting arm 8 throughout the entire tilting process, aswell as during the return movement in the area of the lower stringer ofthe traction element 4.

Furthermore, FIG. 3 shows that a trailing/drag arm 28 connects the guideroller 14, via an axis 29, to the end of the coupling rod 12 that facesaway from the tilting arm 8. This trailing arm 28 is also shown in thelateral view in FIG. 4. The axis 29 is aligned horizontally and at rightangles to the transport direction F.

With regard to the seating of the coupling rod 12 at the trailing arm28, the FIGS. 3 and 4 show that same is effected via an axis 30, alignedat right angles to the transport direction F. Both axes 13 and 30 arecomponents of ball joints that serve to compensate for the set-offs thatoccur during the spatial movement of the tilting arm 8 during thetilting process. Due to the connection of the guide roller 14 to theframe 10 via the trailing arm 28, and the coupling rod engaging thetrailing arm 28 above the seating of the guide roller 14, it is possibleto omit an additional, vertically oriented guide for the coupling rod12. Due to the trailing arm 28 being articulated—viewed in the transportdirection F—at the front end of the frame 10, the guide roller 14 andthe trailing arm 28 are being pulled behind the traveling undercarriage7. This type of movement of the guide roller 14 in the guide rail 15 andthe tilting rail 16 increases the stability of the swivel jointconnection between the trailing arm 28 and the coupling rod 12.

Furthermore, by comparing FIGS. 2 and 3, it can be observed that,additionally, at one side of the tilting arm's 8 lever, a connectingmetal sheet 31 is provided that is connected to the tilting arm 8 eithervia the traction rod 25 or the coupling rod 12, depending if it involvesthe front or rear tilting arm 8 of the pair of tilting arms 8 for thetransport of a container 2. This achieves that identically fashionedcoupling rods 12 can be used, even though on the sides facing eachother, the guide rail 15 a, 15 b and the tilting rail 16 a, 16 b havebeen exchanged in the vertical direction and thus are vertically setoff.

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged detail from FIG. 1 from the area of the twoconsecutively arranged (in the transport direction F) switching elements17 a and 17 b, which basically consist of a drive 32 (see FIG. 6) and aflat cam gear with swivel and rectilinear joints of the Geneva stoptype. The drive 32 consists of an electric motor with a series connectedgear. The drive 32 is positioned at the support frame 22 of the tiltingdevice 1, and its output side is connected to a shaft 33, (alignedhorizontally and at right angles to the transport direction F) on whicha rotatable plate 34 with fixed stud(s)is mounted. The studded plate's34 function is that of a lever arm arranged on one side of the shaft 33.The end of the lever arm facing away from the shaft 33 is provided witha stud/pin 35 that is coaxially aligned to the shaft 33. Preferably, thestud 35 will be provided with a roller. The stud 35 engages theoblong-hole-shaped slot 36—open at one side—of a slotted disc 37, whichis pivotably mounted on a further shaft 38 that is coaxially aligned tothe shaft 33 of the studded plate/disc 34. The nearly square, slotteddisc 37 is eccentrically mounted on the shaft 38, and has two concavecontact surfaces 37′ that serve for self-locking the cam gear in itsfinal positions. In accordance with its function, the slotted disc 37 isdesigned as a double lever, where the slot 36 is arranged on one leverarm, and the slot's assumed elongation of its longitudinal extensioncentrally crosses the shaft 38. On the opposite lever arm of the slotteddisc 37 and, thus, on the side opposite the slot 36, a connecting rod 40is mounted via an axis 39, aligned coaxially to the shaft 38; the end ofthe connecting rod 40 facing away from the axis 39 is attached at aswitch rail 41, via a further axis 45, which is aligned parallel to theaxis 35. The stud-slot connection serves to swing out the switching rail42; the anchoring of the switching rail 42 in its final positions iseffected via the contact surfaces 34′, 37′.

This switching rail 41 has a length, extending in the transportdirection F, which roughly approximates the length of a container 2 and,via an articulated switch 42, it can be swiveled from its restingposition—in which it is arranged along the guide trail 15 b—to itsoperational position. In the operational position, the switching rail 41b connects the guide rail 15 b with the tilting rail 16 b and, seen inthe transport direction F, it is arranged on a gradient (slope). Thearticulated switch 42 for the switching rail 41 b is not shown in FIG.4, since same, due to its length which achieves a gentle tiltingmovement of the containers 2, falls outside the right edge of thedrawing. However, the switch joint 42 for the switching rail 41 a can beseen in a top view in FIG. 4 and 6. In order to cut down on its length,the switching rail 41 is executed in two parts in the execution example.The first part is connected to the articulated switch 42, and a secondpart 41 a is stationary attached at the beginning of the tilting rail 16b. In the operational position, the second part 41 b is aligned at anangle to the tilting rail 16, in accordance with its alignment to thefirst part.

In FIG. 4, the switching rail 41 b is shown in its horizontallyproceeding resting position; the operational position of the switchingrail 41 b is only hinted at by the penciled in stationary end 41 b′.Furthermore, FIG. 4 shows that the switching rail 41 b, apart from beingheld by the switching joint 42, is also held at its front end in thevertical direction—facing away from the switching joint 42 and, thus, inthe transport direction F—via guide elements 43. The guide elements 43consist of a U-shaped part, attached to the support frame 22, whose openside (seen in the transport direction F) is frontwards oriented. Theopening is engaged by a strip-shaped element that is attached to theswitching rail 41. The connecting rod 40 engages the switching rail 41 bnear the guide elements 43 and at a distance from the switching joint42.

Furthermore, FIG. 4 shows the corresponding execution of the switchingrail 41 a of the switching element 17 a. Here as well, the switchingrail 41 a is shown in its resting position, and the operational positionis only hinted at by the front end—seen in the transport direction F—ofthe stationary part of the switching rail 41 a′. The slot 36 of theslotted disc 37 of the switching element 17 a is not show here in itstwo feasible positions.

Using FIG. 5 as a guide—which shows an enlarged segment of FIG. 4 fromthe area of the switching element 17 b—the following explanations offermore detail regarding the operational mode and the advantages of themotor 32 of the switching elements 17. The switching rail 41 b is in itsraised and horizontal position, so that the guide roller 14 of thecoupling rods 12 of the traveling undercarriages 7 are guided along theguide rail 15 b, and that, thus, the tilting arm 8 (not “18”, as writtenin the original) is in its transport position. In this resting position,the switching rail 41 b is held via the connecting/tie rod 40, which—forthis purpose—is pivotably connected, via a connecting bracket 44 and theaxis 41, to the switching rail 41 b that is supported at one end by theslotted disc 37, which in its resting position is held by adjoiningcontact surfaces 34′, 37′ of the slotted disc 37 and the stud plate 34.Since the longitudinally extending slot 36 is aligned tangentiallywith/to the shaft 33, both in the operational as well as the restingposition of the switching rail 41 b, forces in the direction of theshaft 33 are fed only to the stud plate 34 via the contact surfaces 34′,37′, and, thus, the motor 32 is not exposed to torsional strain.Therefore, this cam gear is described as being self-locking.

The lever conditions at the slotted disc 37 are chosen—in adaptation tothe shifting path of the switching rail 41 b—in such a way that also inthe operational position of the stud plate 34 and the slotted disc 37 (see FIG. 4, switching elements 17 a), the longitudinal extension of theslot 36 is tangentially aligned with the shaft 33, and the contactsurfaces 43′, 37′ adjoin. By turning the stud plate 34 by 90°, it willbe possible to swivel the switching rail 41 out of its operationalposition and into its resting position or vice versa. Further to that,the gear connection of the switching rail 41 via the stud plate 34 andthe slotted disc 37 has also the advantage—particularly in the casewhere a drive 32 is in the form of an electric motor—that very littlestart-up moment is required, since at the beginning of its movement thestud 35 moves relatively easily along the extent of the slot 36 in thelongitudinal direction, and only with increasing swiveling of the studplate 34 will the share of the force increase that is to be transferredto the side walls of the slot 36.

Furthermore, FIG. 5 shows that the length of the tie rod 40 can beadjusted. The result is that the transition from the end of theswitching rail 41 to the beginning of the guide rail 15, or the tiltingrail 16, is easily adjusted.

Furthermore, FIG. 6, which is a top view of FIG. 4, shows that theswitching joint 42 is designed as a hinge joint. This hinge joint has aswivel axis, aligned horizontally and at right angles to the transportdirection F, and it consists, basically, of an arm-shaped bearingelement (attached to the support frame 22), which at the end facing awayfrom the support frame 22, is provided with a drill hole foraccommodating an axis; onto the end of the axis that protrudes from theend of the fastening element, a fork-shaped joint part is slipped thatis bracket-connected to the switching rail 41 a.

REFERENCE LIST  1 Tilting Installation/Device  2 Container  3 ConveyorBelt  4 Traction means/medium  5 (Reversing) Guide Wheel  6 Track  7Traveling Undercarriage  8 Tilting Arm  9 Axis 10 Frame 11 Track Rollers12 Coupling/Tie Rod 13 Axis 14 Guiding Roller 15a,b Guiding Rail 16a,bTilting Rail 17a,b Switching Elements 18 Side Wall 19 Bottom 20 HoldingMeans 21 Connection Element 22 Support Frame 23 Running Axis 24 Bolt 25Pulling (Traction) Rod 26 Axis of 25 27 Spring Element 28 Trailing/DragArm 29 Axis of 28 30 Axis of 12 31 Connector Metal Shoe 32 Drive 33Shaft 34 (Driven) Pin/Stud Disc 35 Pin/Stud 36 Slot 37 Slotted Disc 38Shaft 39 Axis 40 Connection Rod 41a,b Switching Rail 42 Switching joint43 Guide Element 44 Connection Bracket 45 Axis F Transport Direction

We claim:
 1. A separating conveyor for the transfer of unit loads, inparticular pieces of airplane luggage, from a conveyor belt (3), to atleast one adjoining branch-off conveyor with, in the transport direction(F), consecutively arranged traveling undercarriages (7), movable alonga track rail (6) which—via a driven traction medium (4)—areinterconnected to form an endless revolving chain, said separatingconveyor comprising: a plurality of traveling undercarriages (7) onwhich tilting arms (8) are arranged, each of which, in order to transferthe load units, can be swung sideways around a mostly horizontally (inthe transport direction F) extending axis (9); where for the tiltingmovement of the tilting arms (8), each tilting arm (8) is engagedoutside its axis (9) by an articulated/jointed coupling rod (12), whichbasically is vertically aligned, and at its end facing away from thetilting arm (8), a guiding roller (14) is mounted, which, in order tohold the tilting arms (8) in their horizontal transport position, isguided in a guiding rail (15) that extends parallel to the track rail(6), and where in order to swivel the tilting arms (8) around the axis(9), the guide roller (14) can be rerouted via a switchable switchingelement (17) to a tilting rail (16), arranged off-set to the guidingrail (15); and the switching elements (17) consist of a switching rail(41) that in its horizontal resting position is arranged along theextent of the guiding rail (15) and by means of a drive (32), can beswung into a swung-out operational position, that connects the guidingrail (15) with the assigned tilting rail (16), wherein the switchingrail (41) can be swiveled via a cam gear of the Maltese Cross type,which shows a drivable stud/pin disc (34), aligned at right angles tothe transport direction F, which—via a stud (35)—engages a slot (36)arranged in a slotted disc (37), and where, at the slotted disc (37), aconnection rod (40) is supported that converts the rotary movement ofthe slotted disc (37) into a lifting or lowering movement of theswitching rail (41).
 2. The separating conveyor as per claim 1, whereinthe holding means (20) are arranged at the lateral ends of the tiltingarms.
 3. The separating conveyor as per claim 1, wherein each of theunit loads is designed as a container (2) in which the goods to betransported, in particular pieces of airplane luggage, can be carried,and that at least two tilting arms (8), serving to pass on thecontainers (2) between the conveyor belts (3), are arranged on thecontainer (2), the tilting arms (8) being detachably connected to thecontainer (2) by holding means (20).
 4. The separating conveyor as perclaim 3, wherein the holding means (20) are arranged at the lateral endsof the tilting arms.
 5. The separating conveyor as per claim 3, whereinthe slot (36), with its assumed elongation of its longitudinalextension, crosses over the shaft (38) of the slotted disc (37), that inorder to swing out the switching rail (41), the driven pin/stud disc(34) can be swiveled from its resting position to its operationalposition by approximately 90° and, that both in the operational and theresting position, the slot (36) is tangentially aligned with itslongitudinal extent with the shaft (33) of the driven pin disc (34), andthat furthermore, the contact surfaces (34′, 37′), arranged on thedriven pin disc (34) and the slotted disc (37), are adjoining for thepurpose of self-locking the cam gear.
 6. The separating conveyor as perclaim 5, wherein the holding means (20) are executed as permanentmagnets, and that the container (2) is magnetized at least in the areaof its bottom contact surface.
 7. The separating conveyor as per claim6, wherein the holding means (20) are disc-shaped, with one of the discsurfaces facing towards the container (2) to be coupled; and that theyare pivotably mounted on the tilting arm (8) and that their angularmovement is limited.
 8. The separating conveyor as per claim 5, whereinthat, seen in the transport direction (F), the left and the right sideof the tilting device (1) are each provided with a guiding rail (15), atilting rail (16) and a switching element (17), and that the couplingrods (12) alternately engage each side of the tilting arms (8), so thatin each case the guide rollers (14) of the consecutively arrangedtraveling undercarriages (7) alternately engage the guiding rails (15)and the tilting rails (16) on the right and the left side.
 9. Theseparating conveyor as per claim 8, wherein that via the holding means(20) arranged on the tilting arms, the containers (2) can be coupled toand uncoupled from the conveyor track for the purpose of receivingand/or passing them on, and that in their coupled condition, thecontainers (2) rest on the movable tilting arms (8).
 10. The separatingconveyor as per claim 9, wherein only one tilting arm (8) is arranged oneach traveling undercarriage (7), and that—seen in the transportdirection (F)—the distance between two tilting arms (8) is adapted tothe length of the containers (2) in such a way that a container (2) canbe carried by two tilting arms (8).
 11. The separating conveyor as perclaim 9, wherein the traveling undercarriages (7) are provided withtrack rollers (11), which—seen in the transport direction (F)—travelalong stadium-shaped track rails (6), and that the traction medium (4)is guided around two reversing (return) guide wheels (5), which arearranged in the area of the ends of the track rails (6).
 12. Theseparating conveyor as per claim 11, wherein only one tilting arm (8) isarranged on each traveling undercarriage (7), and that—seen in thetransport direction (F)—the distance between two tilting arms (8) isadapted to the length of the containers (2) in such a way that acontainer (2) can be carried by two tilting arms (8).
 13. The separatingconveyor as per claim 8, wherein the traveling undercarriages (7) areprovided with track rollers (11), which—seen in the transport direction(F)—travel along stadium-shaped track rails (6), and that the tractionmedium (4) is guided around two reversing (return) guide wheels (5),which are arranged in the area of the ends of the track rails (6). 14.The separating conveyor as per claim 13, wherein only one tilting arm(8) is arranged on each traveling undercarriage (7), and that—seen inthe transport direction (F)—the distance between two tilting arms (8) isadapted to the length of the containers (2) in such a way that acontainer (2) can be carried by two tilting arms (8).
 15. The separatingconveyor as per claim 8, wherein only one tilting arm (8) is arranged oneach traveling undercarriage (7), and that—seen in the transportdirection (F)—the distance between two tilting arms (8) is adapted tothe length of the containers (2) in such a way that a container (2) canbe carried by two tilting arms (8).
 16. The separating conveyor as perclaim 5, wherein that via the holding means (20) arranged on the tiltingarms, the containers (2) can be coupled to and uncoupled from theconveyor track for the purpose of receiving and/or passing them on, andthat in their coupled condition, the containers (2) rest on the movabletilting arms (8).
 17. The separating conveyor as per claim 16, whereinthe traveling undercarriages (7) are provided with track rollers (11),which—seen in the transport direction (F)—travel along stadium-shapedtrack rails (6), and that the traction medium (4) is guided around tworeversing (return) guide wheels (5), which are arranged in the area ofthe ends of the track rails (6).
 18. The separating conveyor as perclaim 17, wherein only one tilting arm (8) is arranged on each travelingundercarriage (7), and that—seen in the transport direction (F)—thedistance between two tilting arms (8) is adapted to the length of thecontainers (2) in such a way that a container (2) can be carried by twotilting arms (8).
 19. The separating conveyor as per claim 16, whereinonly one tilting arm (8) is arranged on each traveling undercarriage(7), and that—seen in the transport direction (F)—the distance betweentwo tilting arms (8) is adapted to the length of the containers (2) insuch a way that a container (2) can be carried by two tilting arms (8).20. The separating conveyor as per claim 5 wherein the travelingundercarriages (7) are provided with track rollers (11), which—seen inthe transport direction (F)—travel along stadium-shaped track rails (6),and that the traction medium (4) is guided around two reversing (return)guide wheels (5), which are arranged in the area of the ends of thetrack rails (6).
 21. The separating conveyor as per claim 20, whereinonly one tilting arm (8) is arranged on each traveling undercarriage(7), and that—seen in the transport direction (F)—the distance betweentwo tilting arms (8) is adapted to the length of the containers (2) insuch a way that a container (2) can be carried by two tilting arms (8).22. The separating conveyor as per claim 5, wherein only one tilting arm(8) is arranged on each traveling undercarriage (7), and that—seen inthe transport direction (F)—the distance between two tilting arms (8) isadapted to the length of the containers (2) in such a way that acontainer (2) can be carried by two tilting arms (8).
 23. The separatingconveyor as per claim 5, wherein the holding means (20) are arranged atthe lateral ends of the tilting arms.
 24. The separating conveyor as perclaim 3, wherein that, seen in the transport direction (F), the left andthe right side of the tilting device (1) are each provided with aguiding rail (15), a tilting rail (16) and a switching element (17), andthat the coupling rods (12) alternately engage each side of the tiltingarms (8), so that in each case the guide rollers (14) of theconsecutively arranged traveling undercarriages (7) alternately engagethe guiding rails (15) and the tilting rails (16) on the right and theleft side.
 25. The separating conveyor as per claim 24, wherein that viathe holding means (20) arranged on the tilting arms, the containers (2)can be coupled to and uncoupled from the conveyor track for the purposeof receiving and/or passing them on, and that in their coupledcondition, the containers (2) rest on the movable tilting arms (8). 26.The separating conveyor as per claim 25, wherein the travelingundercarriages (7) are provided with track rollers (11), which—seen inthe transport direction (F)—travel along stadium-shaped track rails (6),and that the traction medium (4) is guided around two reversing (return)guide wheels (5), which are arranged in the area of the ends of thetrack rails (6).
 27. The separating conveyor as per claim 26, whereinonly one tilting arm (8) is arranged on each traveling undercarriage(7), and that—seen in the transport direction (F)—the distance betweentwo tilting arms (8) is adapted to the length of the containers (2) insuch a way that a container (2) can be carried by two tilting arms (8).28. The separating conveyor as per claim 25, wherein only one tiltingarm (8) is arranged on each traveling undercarriage (7), and that—seenin the transport direction (F)—the distance between two tilting arms (8)is adapted to the length of the containers (2) in such a way that acontainer (2) can be carried by two tilting arms (8).
 29. The separatingconveyor as per claim 24, wherein the traveling undercarriages (7) areprovided with track rollers (11), which—seen in the transport direction(F)—travel along stadium-shaped track rails (6), and that the tractionmedium (4) is guided around two reversing (return) guide wheels (5),which are arranged in the area of the ends of the track rails (6). 30.The separating conveyor as per claim 29, wherein only one tilting arm(8) is arranged on each traveling undercarriage (7), and that—seen inthe transport direction (F)—the distance between two tilting arms (8) isadapted to the length of the containers (2) in such a way that acontainer (2) can be carried by two tilting arms (8).
 31. The separatingconveyor as per claim 24, wherein only one tilting arm (8) is arrangedon each traveling undercarriage (7), and that—seen in the transportdirection (F)—the distance between two tilting arms (8) is adapted tothe length of the containers (2) in such a way that a container (2) canbe carried by two tilting arms (8).
 32. The separating conveyor as perclaim 3, wherein that via the holding means (20) arranged on the tiltingarms, the containers (2) can be coupled to and uncoupled from theconveyor track for the purpose of receiving and/or passing them on, andthat in their coupled condition, the containers (2) rest on the movabletilting arms (8).
 33. The separating conveyor as per claim 32, whereinthe traveling undercarriages (7) are provided with track rollers (11),which—seen in the transport direction (F)—travel along stadium-shapedtrack rails (6), and that the traction medium (4) is guided around tworeversing (return) guide wheels (5), which are arranged in the area ofthe ends of the track rails (6).
 34. The separating conveyor as perclaim 33, wherein only one tilting arm (8) is arranged on each travelingundercarriage (7), and that—seen in the transport direction (F)—thedistance between two tilting arms (8) is adapted to the length of thecontainers (2) in such a way that a container (2) can be carried by twotilting arms (8).
 35. The separating conveyor as per claim 32, whereinonly one tilting arm (8) is arranged on each traveling undercarriage(7), and that—seen in the transport direction (F)—the distance betweentwo tilting arms (8) is adapted to the length of the containers (2) insuch a way that a container (2) can be carried by two tilting arms (8).36. The separating conveyor as per claim 3, wherein the travelingundercarriages (7) are provided with track rollers (1), which—seen inthe transport direction (F)—travel along stadium-shaped track rails (6),and that the traction medium (4) is guided around two reversing (return)guide wheels (5), which are arranged in the area of the ends of thetrack rails (6).
 37. The separating conveyor as per claim 36, whereinonly one tilting arm (8) is arranged on each traveling undercarriage(7), and that—seen in the transport direction (F)—the distance betweentwo tilting arms (8) is adapted to the length of the containers (2) insuch a way that a container (2) can be carried by two tilting arms (8).38. The separating conveyor as per claim 3, wherein only one tilting arm(8) is arranged on each traveling undercarriage (7), and that—seen inthe transport direction (F)—the distance between two tilting arms (8) isadapted to the length of the containers (2) in such a way that acontainer (2) can be carried by two tilting arms (8).
 39. The separatingconveyor as per claim 3, wherein the holding means (20) are executed aspermanent magnets, and that the container (2) is magnetized at least inthe area of its bottom contact surface.
 40. The separating conveyor asper claim 39, wherein the holding means (20) are disc-shaped, with oneof the disc surfaces facing towards the container (2) to be coupled; andthat they are pivotably mounted on the tilting arm (8) and that theirangular movement is limited.
 41. The separating conveyor as per claim 1,wherein that, seen in the transport direction (F), the left and theright side of the tilting device (1) are each provided with a guidingrail (15), a tilting rail (16) and a switching element (17), and thatthe coupling rods (12) alternately engage each side of the tilting arms(8), so that in each case the guide rollers (14) of the consecutivelyarranged traveling undercarriages (7) alternately engage the guidingrails (15) and the tilting rails (16) on the right and the left side.42. The separating conveyor as per claim 41, wherein that via theholding means (20) arranged on the tilting arms, the containers (2) canbe coupled to and uncoupled from the conveyor track for the purpose ofreceiving and/or passing them on, and that in their coupled condition,the containers (2) rest on the movable tilting arms (8).
 43. Theseparating conveyor as per claim 42, wherein the travelingundercarriages (7) are provided with track rollers (11), which—seen inthe transport direction (F)—travel along stadium-shaped track rails (6),and that the traction medium (4) is guided around two reversing (return)guide wheels (5), which are arranged in the area of the ends of thetrack rails (6).
 44. The separating conveyor as per claim 43, whereinonly one tilting arm (8) is arranged on each traveling undercarriage(7), and that—seen in the transport direction (F)—the distance betweentwo tilting arms (8) is adapted to the length of the containers (2) insuch a way that a container (2) can be carried by two tilting arms (8).45. The separating conveyor as per claim 42, wherein only one tiltingarm (8) is arranged on each traveling undercarriage (7), and that—seenin the transport direction (F)—the distance between two tilting arms (8)is adapted to the length of the containers (2) in such a way that acontainer (2) can be carried by two tilting arms (8).
 46. The separatingconveyor as per claim 41, wherein the traveling undercarriages (7) areprovided with track rollers (11), which—seen in the transport direction(F)—travel along stadium-shaped track rails (6), and that the tractionmedium (4) is guided around two reversing (return) guide wheels (5),which are arranged in the area of the ends of the track rails (6). 47.The separating conveyor as per claim 46, wherein only one tilting arm(8) is arranged on each traveling undercarriage (7), and that—seen inthe transport direction (F)—the distance between two tilting arms (8) isadapted to the length of the containers (2) in such a way that acontainer (2) can be carried by two tilting arms (8).
 48. The separatingconveyor as per claim 41, wherein only one tilting arm (8) is arrangedon each traveling undercarriage (7), and that—seen in the transportdirection (F)—the distance between two tilting arms (8) is adapted tothe length of the containers (2) in such a way that a container (2) canbe carried by two tilting arms (8).
 49. The separating conveyor as perclaim 41, wherein the holding means (20) are executed as permanentmagnets, and that the container (2) is magnetized at least in the areaof its bottom contact surface.
 50. The separating conveyor as per claim44, wherein the holding means (20) are disc-shaped, with one of the discsurfaces facing towards the container (2) to be coupled; and that theyare pivotably mounted on the tilting arm (8) and that their angularmovement is limited.
 51. The separating conveyor as per claim 44,wherein the holding means (20) are arranged at the lateral ends of thetilting arms.
 52. The separating conveyor as per claim 1, wherein thatvia the holding means (20) arranged on the tilting arms, the containers(2) can be coupled to and uncoupled from the conveyor track for thepurpose of receiving and/or passing them on, and that in their coupledcondition, the containers (2) rest on the movable tilting arms (8). 53.The separating conveyor as per claim 52, wherein the travelingundercarriages (7) are provided with track rollers (11), which—seen inthe transport direction (F)—travel along stadium-shaped track rails (6),and that the traction medium (4) is guided around two reversing (return)guide wheels (5), which are arranged in the area of the ends of thetrack rails (6).
 54. The separating conveyor as per claim 53, whereinonly one tilting arm (8) is arranged on each traveling undercarriage(7), and that—seen in the transport direction (F)—the distance betweentwo tilting arms (8) is adapted to the length of the containers (2) insuch a way that a container (2) can be carried by two tilting arms (8).55. The separating conveyor as per claim 52, wherein only one tiltingarm (8) is arranged on each traveling undercarriage (7), and that—seenin the transport direction (F)—the distance between two tilting arms (8)is adapted to the length of the containers (2) in such a way that acontainer (2) can be carried by two tilting arms (8).
 56. The separatingconveyor as per claim 5, wherein the holding means (20) are executed aspermanent magnets, and that the container (2) is magnetized at least inthe area of its bottom contact surface.
 57. The separating conveyor asper claim 46, wherein the holding means (20) are disc-shaped, with oneof the disc surfaces facing towards the container (2) to be coupled; andthat they are pivotably mounted on the tilting arm (8) and that theirangular movement is limited.
 58. The separating conveyor as per claim52, wherein the holding means (20) are arranged at the lateral ends ofthe tilting arms.
 59. The separating conveyor as per claim 1, whereinthe traveling undercarriages (7) are provided with track rollers (11),which—seen in the transport direction (F)—travel along stadium-shapedtrack rails (6), and that the traction medium (4) is guided around tworeversing (return) guide wheels (5), which are arranged in the area ofthe ends of the track rails (6).
 60. The separating conveyor as perclaim 59, wherein only one tilting arm (8) is arranged on each travelingundercarriage (7), and that—seen in the transport direction (F)—thedistance between two tilting arms (8) is adapted to the length of thecontainers (2) in such a way that a container (2) can be carried by twotilting arms (8).
 61. The separating conveyor as per claim 59, whereinthe holding means (20) are executed as permanent magnets, and that thecontainer (2) is magnetized at least in the area of its bottom contactsurface.
 62. The separating conveyor as per claim 61, wherein theholding means (20) are disc-shaped, with one of the disc surfaces facingtowards the container (2) to be coupled; and that they are pivotablymounted on the tilting arm (8) and that their angular movement islimited.
 63. The separating conveyor as per claim 59, wherein theholding means (20) are arranged at the lateral ends of the tilting arms.64. The separating conveyor as per claim 1, wherein only one tilting arm(8) is arranged on each traveling undercarriage (7), and that—seen inthe transport direction (F)—the distance between two tilting arms (8) isadapted to the length of the containers (2) in such a way that acontainer (2) can be carried by two tilting arms (8).
 65. The separatingconveyor as per claim 64, wherein the holding means (20) are executed aspermanent magnets, and that the container (2) is magnetized at least inthe area of its bottom contact surface.
 66. The separating conveyor asper claim 65, wherein the holding means (20) are disc-shaped, with oneof the disc surfaces facing towards the container (2) to be coupled; andthat they are pivotably mounted on the tilting arm (8) and that theirangular movement is limited.
 67. The separating conveyor as per claim64, wherein the holding means (20) are arranged at the lateral ends ofthe tilting arms.
 68. The separating conveyor as per claim 1, whereinthe holding means (20) are executed as permanent magnets, and that thecontainer (2) is magnetized at least in the area of its bottom contactsurface.
 69. The separating conveyor as per claim 68, wherein theholding means (20) are arranged at the lateral ends of the tilting arms.70. The separating conveyor as per claim 68, wherein the holding means(20) are disc-shaped, with one of the disc surfaces facing towards thecontainer (2) to be coupled; and that they are pivotably mounted on thetilting arm (8) and that their angular movement is limited.
 71. Theseparating conveyor as per claim 70, wherein the holding means (20) arearranged at the lateral ends of the tilting arms.